Adhyaya 40: Kali-yuga Lakshana, Yuga-sandhyamsha, and the Re-emergence of Dharma
स हत्वा सर्वशश्चैव राज्ञस्ताञ्शूद्रयोनिजान् पाखण्डांस्तु ततः सर्वान् निःशेषं कृतवान् प्रभुः
sa hatvā sarvaśaścaiva rājñastāñśūdrayonijān pākhaṇḍāṃstu tataḥ sarvān niḥśeṣaṃ kṛtavān prabhuḥ
அவன் சூத்ர குலத்தில் பிறந்த அந்த அரசர்களை முற்றிலும் கொன்றான்; பின்னர் எல்லாப் பாஷண்டர்களையும் முழுதாக ஒழித்தான். இவ்வாறு ஆண்டவன் சிவதர்மத்தைத் தாங்கும் ஒழுங்கை மீண்டும் நிறுவினான்।
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It frames Linga-centered dharma as requiring purification of the social-religious field: removing pāṣaṇḍa (anti-dharma distortions) so that Shiva-pūjā, mantra, and vrata can be practiced in a stable, sattvic order.
It presents the Lord as Pati—the sovereign protector who restores dharma by removing forces that bind and mislead the pashu (souls), thereby re-establishing conditions conducive to right worship and liberation.
Indirectly, it highlights the Pāśupata principle of śuddhi (purification): eliminating inner and outer pāśa (bondage)—here symbolized by pāṣaṇḍa—so disciplined worship, japa, and Shaiva observances can bear fruit.